This isn't your grandfather's idea of going out to sea. Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas epitomizes the newest trend in cruise ship design, which is the construction of increasingly colossal vessels.
While Royal Caribbean unveiled the vessel in early 2024, users still have fresh and visceral reactions to it. That was the case with a video shared to the r/Amazing subreddit in a post that framed the boat as "five times bigger than the Titanic."
The footage shows the staggering scope of Icon of the Seas, including seemingly endless attractions on the deck like pools, basketball courts, water slides, and outdoor bars. (Click here to view footage if embed does not appear.)
"That thing have its own ZIP code?" a Redditor jokingly asked.
Unsurprisingly, users compared it to a floating city, and its sheer size supports that comparison. The 1,197-foot vessel weighs 248,663 tons and can accommodate 7,600 passengers and 2,350 crew members, per SuperCarBlondie.
Accommodating all those humans and all the amenities is no small feat.
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"These kinds of vessels are just mobile pollution," a user said of all the waste from such a large boat. While they were actually referring to human waste and the infamous "Poop Cruise," the pollution generated to power the massive boat is equally unpleasant.
Six massive engines are powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) propulsion and burn nearly 100,000 gallons a day, per SuperCarBlondie. While the decision to use LNG was made to cut down on carbon pollution, critics point out that in the process, it creates methane pollution. Methane is a planet-warming gas that is 80 times more potent than carbon at trapping heat.
Icon of the Seas and other cruise ships are trying to get around the truth that they are a more wasteful form of travel than commercial airplanes. However, experts are skeptical that LNG and its "methane slips" are up to the task, as the International Council of Clean Transportation noted.
So while the boat will continue to shock onlookers where it crops up, it will be doing major damage to the planet.
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Cheaper clothes 🤑 Redditors sounded off on Icon of the Seas in the comments.
An unsparing commenter wrote: "The thing is a perversion. An incredible number of people in a confined space. Places visited by this monster are overrun by hordes of tourists. Should be banned."
"I think Wall-e when I see these," a user shared.
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